An
autonomous system is a computational system that performs a desired
task, often without human guidance. We use varying degrees of autonomy
in robotic systems for manufacturing, exploration of planets and space
debris, water treatment, ambient sensing, and even cleaning floors. This
blog post discusses practical autonomous systems that we are actively
developing at the SEI. Specifically, this post focuses on a new research
effort at the SEI called Self-governing Mobile Adhocs with Sensors and
Handhelds (SMASH) that is forging collaborations with researchers,
professors, and students with the goal of enabling more effective
search-and-rescue crews.